US Steel to Restart Idled Second Furnace at Granite City Steel Works

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Pittsburgh-based steel maker United Steel Corporation (US Steel) has announced that the second of two idled blast furnaces at Granite City, Illinois steelmaking plant is ready to be restarted. Earlier in March this year, the company had announced restart of the first furnace on hopes of resurgence in domestic steel demand, on account of heavy tariffs imposed on steel imported into the U.S.

According to company press release, the restart of the second furnace is expected to take place around October 1. This will bring all of the steelmaking operations at Granite City back on line, positioning the company to meet increased demand from its customers. Also, US Steel will hire around 300 new employees. The proposed restart will significantly boost mill shipment volumes beginning in the fourth quarter this year.

US Steel had idled both furnaces and its steel making facilities in the Granite City Works integrated steelmaking plant in Granite City, Ill in December 2015. The company had blamed extremely challenging market condition, especially on account of unfairly traded cheap imports, mainly from China and other Asian countries. The hot strip mill was idled in January 2016. After almost a year, the company had restarted the hot strip mill operations, thereby reinstating nearly 200 jobs. It must be noted that the plant had employed over 2,000 workers prior to its shutdown of furnaces.

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U. S. Steel President and Chief Executive Officer David B. Burritt stated that the decision to restart the second furnace was taken after careful consideration of market conditions and customer demand, including the impact of Section 232. He thanked the passion and resolve of the talented employee team at Granite City Works for preparing the plant towards a successful and safe restart of both the furnaces.